Fountain of Youth pier evolved from love of a man for his father
from the Evening Independent Dec. 8, 1938
The Rambler....
Most of the present-day residents of St. Petersburg never knew
E.H. Tomlinson who died recently in Tampa, but he was once one of the
best known men in this city, and no man who ever lived here did more
for the city than he did. Mr. Tomlinson was a wealthy man, many years ago.
He gave freely of his money to all worthwhile enterprises and yet he never
got much public recognition for what he did. St. Petersburg made much more
fuss over his body than it ever did over him while he was alive. The reason
for this probably was because Mr. Tomlinson was a modest, retiring individual
who never blew his own horn and who went about his benefactions with no
fanfare of trumpets.
Mr. Tomlinson lived to be 94 years old, thereby proving that God does give
long life to those who honor their fathers and their mothers. Mr. Tomlinson
was good to his father; he did many things to make the latter's last years
happy and comfortable. He always thought of his father.
Mr. Tomlinson built a pier from which his father could fish.(1901-1921) It was later
called the Fountain of Youth pier and was given to the city. But it was built
for the elder Mr. Tomlinson. He liked to fish. His age back in 1910, made it
hard for him to fish from a boat and he wanted to get out where the water
was deep. So Mr. Tomlinson built the pier at the foot of Third avenue south
so his father could have a fishing place.
Since the father could not walk to the end of the pier, it was made wide
enough for a buggy to run over it. When the pier was completed a horse was
hitched to a buggy and Mr. Tomlinson and his father drove out to the end.
Then they met a difficulty. The buggy could not be turned around. The pier
was not wide enough to turn the buggy with the horse hitched to it. The horse
was unhitched and the buggy turned around by men who lifed it above the
railing.
Then Mr. Tomlinson had the head of the pier built, with plenty of space in
which to turn the buggy without unhitching the horse. For several months the
elder Mr. Tomlinson drove out to the end of the pier daily and fished.
Then the weather turned chilly. It was too cold for the old man to fish from
the pier. But he still wanted to fish, so Mr. Tomlinson built a house on the
on the deep water end of the pier. A hole was cut in the floor of one of the
rooms and the devoted angler fished through that hole. No matter how cold it
was outside he could always be comfortable, as he could have a heater in the
room where he fished.
The house that Mr. Tomlinson built was afterward moved closer to shore and
turned into a bathhouse, with some additions made to it. It was torn down
many years ago.
The Fountain of Youth pier had at its bay end a remarkable fountain of fine
drinking water, though somewhat flavored with sulphur. The fresh water came
from below the salt water of the bay. On the shore end of the pier was the
Fountain of Youth well which is still in use and which is visited by a great
many persons every day. Mr. Tomlinson sunk that well and established the
fountain which has since been taken over and improved by the city. Many
persons here drink that water exclusively and attribute to it great virtues.
The elder Mr. Tomlinson was playing checkers one day, many years ago, at the
central fire station, where he spent several hours nearly every day. A
reporter on a local newspaper was among those watching the game when the
matter of the age of the elderly man was brought up.
"How old would you say that I am?" asked Mr. Tomlinson of the newspaper man.
"Why, I do not know," he replied, "but I expect you must be about 76 or 77
years old."
"Go on, son, you are a poor judge of ages," said Mr. Tomlinson. "I have a
son who is 70 years old."
The son was E.H.Tomlinson who recently died. He was 70 years old at the time
the reporter was guessing the age of the father. That was 24 years ago and
Mr. Tomlinson was active and vigorous for one of his years. He enjoyed going
out in a boat after big fish and one day his boat towed into the basin here
a devilray that weighed 1900 pounds. It had been harpooned in the big pass
off Egmont key.
The Rambler....
Most of the present-day residents of St. Petersburg never knew
E.H. Tomlinson who died recently in Tampa, but he was once one of the
best known men in this city, and no man who ever lived here did more
for the city than he did. Mr. Tomlinson was a wealthy man, many years ago.
He gave freely of his money to all worthwhile enterprises and yet he never
got much public recognition for what he did. St. Petersburg made much more
fuss over his body than it ever did over him while he was alive. The reason
for this probably was because Mr. Tomlinson was a modest, retiring individual
who never blew his own horn and who went about his benefactions with no
fanfare of trumpets.
Mr. Tomlinson lived to be 94 years old, thereby proving that God does give
long life to those who honor their fathers and their mothers. Mr. Tomlinson
was good to his father; he did many things to make the latter's last years
happy and comfortable. He always thought of his father.
Mr. Tomlinson built a pier from which his father could fish.(1901-1921) It was later
called the Fountain of Youth pier and was given to the city. But it was built
for the elder Mr. Tomlinson. He liked to fish. His age back in 1910, made it
hard for him to fish from a boat and he wanted to get out where the water
was deep. So Mr. Tomlinson built the pier at the foot of Third avenue south
so his father could have a fishing place.
Since the father could not walk to the end of the pier, it was made wide
enough for a buggy to run over it. When the pier was completed a horse was
hitched to a buggy and Mr. Tomlinson and his father drove out to the end.
Then they met a difficulty. The buggy could not be turned around. The pier
was not wide enough to turn the buggy with the horse hitched to it. The horse
was unhitched and the buggy turned around by men who lifed it above the
railing.
Then Mr. Tomlinson had the head of the pier built, with plenty of space in
which to turn the buggy without unhitching the horse. For several months the
elder Mr. Tomlinson drove out to the end of the pier daily and fished.
Then the weather turned chilly. It was too cold for the old man to fish from
the pier. But he still wanted to fish, so Mr. Tomlinson built a house on the
on the deep water end of the pier. A hole was cut in the floor of one of the
rooms and the devoted angler fished through that hole. No matter how cold it
was outside he could always be comfortable, as he could have a heater in the
room where he fished.
The house that Mr. Tomlinson built was afterward moved closer to shore and
turned into a bathhouse, with some additions made to it. It was torn down
many years ago.
The Fountain of Youth pier had at its bay end a remarkable fountain of fine
drinking water, though somewhat flavored with sulphur. The fresh water came
from below the salt water of the bay. On the shore end of the pier was the
Fountain of Youth well which is still in use and which is visited by a great
many persons every day. Mr. Tomlinson sunk that well and established the
fountain which has since been taken over and improved by the city. Many
persons here drink that water exclusively and attribute to it great virtues.
The elder Mr. Tomlinson was playing checkers one day, many years ago, at the
central fire station, where he spent several hours nearly every day. A
reporter on a local newspaper was among those watching the game when the
matter of the age of the elderly man was brought up.
"How old would you say that I am?" asked Mr. Tomlinson of the newspaper man.
"Why, I do not know," he replied, "but I expect you must be about 76 or 77
years old."
"Go on, son, you are a poor judge of ages," said Mr. Tomlinson. "I have a
son who is 70 years old."
The son was E.H.Tomlinson who recently died. He was 70 years old at the time
the reporter was guessing the age of the father. That was 24 years ago and
Mr. Tomlinson was active and vigorous for one of his years. He enjoyed going
out in a boat after big fish and one day his boat towed into the basin here
a devilray that weighed 1900 pounds. It had been harpooned in the big pass
off Egmont key.